Flag display devices which allow a flag or pennant to be removably secured to a vehicle are well known. Commonly, these flag display devices provide a flag secured to one end of a staff, and a suction cup secured to the opposite end of the staff. While the gripping power of the suction cup is sufficient, the forces exerted on the flag due to wind as the vehicle travels cause the flag and the flag staff to wobble and shake. Thus, conventional flag display devices have not provided the flag with sufficient stability.
In order to overcome this problem, various other means and improvements for securing the flag display device to the vehicle surface have been proposed. For instance, one flag display device provides a magnet arranged over a suction cup to maintain the suction cup in sealing relation with a surface, while another flag display device provides a plurality of suction cups arranged around a base member.
While these flag display devices are better at remaining securely attached to a vehicle surface and stabilizing the flag staff even during high speeds, they have proven to be too costly. More particularly, such flag display devices are typically used as funeral flags on vehicles in funeral processions. After the services are complete the funeral home personnel have to walk around to all the vehicles collecting the flag display devices. Nevertheless some vehicles will depart with the flag display device still attached to the vehicle either during the service or after the service if funeral home personnel were not available. As such, the funeral home has to absorb the cost of such flag display devices. Hence, a need has arisen for an inexpensive flag display device which securely, but yet removably, secures a flag to a surface and stabilizes the flag staff.
One attempt to develop an inexpensive flag display device which remains securely attached to the vehicle surface and stabilizes the flag staff, has been to provide a small circular hub having a plurality of rigid arms extending outwardly therefrom. The distal ends of adjacent arms are connected by a rigid annular support member. The flag staff passes through the hub and into engagement with a boss on a suction cup. When the suction cup is applied to a surface, the annular member engages the surface in order to prevent movement of the flag staff.
However, this flag display device fails to maintain adequate adhesion with the vehicle surface or fails to stabilize the flag staff and flag during relatively high speeds because the annular member and arms are relatively rigid. More particularly, when a suction cup is applied to a surface it is pressed downwardly to the point where the under side or bottom of the suction cup is in substantial facing engagement with the surface. The suction cup is then released and it moves upwardly to create a vacuum pocket between the suction cup and the surface. Depending upon the relative position of the rigid annular member with respect to the bottom surface of the suction cup, the annular member will prevent either the bottom of the suction cup from achieving substantial facing engagement with the surface, in which case the suction cup will not completely adhere to the surface or when the suction cup moves upwardly the rigid annular member will separate from the surface resulting in a loss of stability for the flag staff.
The present invention is an inexpensive flag display device which is removably and securely affixed to a surface and supports the flag in a stabilized manner. The flag display device is removably securable to a surface by a suction cup. The flag display device provides a base member interconnecting a flag staff and the suction cup. The base member has a plurality of radially extending generally flexible legs for engaging the surface at individual, spaced contact points adjacent an outer perimeter of the suction cup. The present invention overcomes the problems with the aforementioned flag display devices. Thus, the present invention solves the need for an inexpensive flag display device which securely, but yet removably, secures a flag to a surface and maintains the flag in a stabilized manner.